Japan 2015: All The Kit Kats!

July 2, 2016, 3:02 pm

≫ Next: Shami-sensational by Hibiki Ichikawa

≪ Previous: Japan 2015: Birthday Celebrations at DisneySea!

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Finally, I’ve reached the very end of my 2015 Japan trip posts! It only took me six months… I thought I’d finish with a quick post about a theme which ran through my whole trip – Kit Kats! Back in 2014 I had the pleasure of visiting the first Kit Kat Chocolatory in Tokyo. Now there … Continue reading →

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Shami-sensational by Hibiki Ichikawa

July 9, 2016, 10:12 am

≫ Next: HYPER JAPAN Festival 2016… and how I’ve changed

≪ Previous: Japan 2015: All The Kit Kats!

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The UK’s number one Tsugaru shamisen player Hibiki Ichikawa is back with a sensational new album, aptly called ‘Shami-sensational’. This fantastic album contains 8 new tracks, featuring the shamisen player himself, as well as guest vocals from Akari Mochizuki and instruments from a number of other contributors. Check out some samples from the album in … Continue reading →

HYPER JAPAN Festival 2016… and how I’ve changed

July 17, 2016, 7:06 am

≫ Next: Unexpected Stories by Umi Kumano

≪ Previous: Shami-sensational by Hibiki Ichikawa

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This weekend I went to the UK’s biggest J-culture event HYPER JAPAN at Olympia in London. I was working there, enthusing to the masses about travelling to Japan and what a cool destination it is, and after my shift finished yesterday I hung around for a little while to take in some of the craziness. … Continue reading →

Unexpected Stories by Umi Kumano

July 24, 2016, 11:05 am

≫ Next: Book Review: The Bullet Train Murder by Fran Pickering

≪ Previous: HYPER JAPAN Festival 2016… and how I’ve changed

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Whilst I was in London recently I popped in to see my old colleagues at the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation and was invited in to see the latest exhibition: Unexpected Stories by Umi Kumano (熊野海). Umi Kumano is a Japanese artist from Fukui, who currently lives in Berlin as a guest student at the Berlin University of … Continue reading →

Book Review: The Bullet Train Murder by Fran Pickering

July 30, 2016, 3:24 am

≫ Next: Sweet Bean (あん) – A Movie by Naomi Kawase

≪ Previous: Unexpected Stories by Umi Kumano

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The Bullet Train Murder is the latest in Fran Pickering‘s ‘Josie Clark in Japan’ mystery series: When a body’s found on Japan’s famous bullet train it’s got nothing to do with Josie Clark. Or has it? Tokyo-based expat Londoner Josie Clark hopes her transfer to Osaka will give her career a boost, even though it means commuting weekly … Continue reading →

Sweet Bean (あん) – A Movie by Naomi Kawase

August 6, 2016, 10:51 am

≫ Next: Japan-inspired street art in Bristol

≪ Previous: Book Review: The Bullet Train Murder by Fran Pickering

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Billed as an “ode to the simple joys in life”, Sweet Bean (あん) directed by Naomi Kawase (河瀨直美) really is just that, and it’s lovely. Sweet Bean is set in a small-town dorayaki (どら焼き) (red-bean pancake) shop run by a grumpy middle-aged man (Sentaro, played by the rather handsome Masatoshi Nagase / 永瀬 正敏) who … Continue reading →

Japan-inspired street art in Bristol

August 14, 2016, 12:34 pm

≫ Next: Book Review: Miso Tasty Cookbook

≪ Previous: Sweet Bean (あん) – A Movie by Naomi Kawase

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A few weeks ago Bristol saw another fantastic Upfest street art festival take place. Upfest is Europe’s largest free street art and graffiti festival, and the event sees artists travelling from all over the world to take part. There was lots of great artwork there, but today I’d like to highlight a few Japan-inspired pieces … Continue reading →

Book Review: Miso Tasty Cookbook

August 21, 2016, 11:24 am

≫ Next: Bachata en Fukuoka

≪ Previous: Japan-inspired street art in Bristol

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Miso Tasty, my favourite supplier of miso (みそ) in the UK, created by chef and food blogger extraordinaire Bonnie Chung, has just published a fantastic new cookbook! Not only is this a lovely book to have on your shelf (it feels nice and fabricy and is beautifully designed with delicious photos throughout), it’s also packed … Continue reading →

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Bachata en Fukuoka

August 25, 2016, 1:06 pm

≫ Next: Weekly Photo Challenge: Mirror

≪ Previous: Book Review: Miso Tasty Cookbook

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Keeping up with a Japanese culture blog when you lead a busy life can be hard, but it seems that whatever I do, wherever I go, Japan finds me. A lot of my free time these days is taken up with Latin dancing (salsa and bachata), and a while ago my teacher pointed out that one … Continue reading →

Weekly Photo Challenge: Mirror

September 4, 2016, 6:52 am

≫ Next: Absolutely Fabulous Japan!

≪ Previous: Bachata en Fukuoka

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It’s been ages since I took part in WordPress’s Weekly Photo Challenge, so I thought this week I’d give it a go. This week the theme is ‘Mirror‘, which got me thinking about reflections. In Japan there are so many good opportunities for photos of reflections – here are just a few pictures I’ve taken … Continue reading →

Absolutely Fabulous Japan!

September 11, 2016, 1:12 pm

≫ Next: Movie Review: Kubo & The Two Strings

≪ Previous: Weekly Photo Challenge: Mirror

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I don’t have much time this week to post, so here’s just a quick heads up for those of you in the UK or with access to UK TV. This week a new three-part series about Japan started, featuring Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley. I haven’t watched it yet, but the images I’ve seen from … Continue reading →

Movie Review: Kubo & The Two Strings

September 18, 2016, 6:40 am

≫ Next: Weekly Photo Challenge: Quest

≪ Previous: Absolutely Fabulous Japan!

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“If you must blink, do it now…” What an opening line! I was captivated from the moment the film started, and Kubo & The Two Strings is without a doubt the best animated film I’ve seen this year, and in a long time. Kubo & The Two Strings is not a Japanese film, it’s an … Continue reading →

Weekly Photo Challenge: Quest

September 25, 2016, 6:32 am

≫ Next: Weekly Photo Challenge: Nostalgia

≪ Previous: Movie Review: Kubo & The Two Strings

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This week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge theme is ‘quest‘, which immediately made me think of a number of adventures I’ve had in Japan. Often, both whilst living there and during my other trips, I’ve felt like I am on some kind of quest or mission. Sometimes I’m searching for the perfect photo opportunity, sometimes I’m searching for … Continue reading →

Weekly Photo Challenge: Nostalgia

October 1, 2016, 7:39 am

≫ Next: Weekly Photo Challenge: H2O

≪ Previous: Weekly Photo Challenge: Quest

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This week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge theme is ‘nostalgia‘. I wasn’t going to do another photo blog this week, but this theme was too good to resist. The word ‘nostalgia’ instantly makes me think of the Japanese word ‘natsukashii’ (懐かしい), which is one of those wonderful untranslatable words the Japanese language has so many of. It’s feeling … Continue reading →

Weekly Photo Challenge: H2O

October 9, 2016, 6:44 am

≫ Next: Book Review: Tokyo Fashion City – Philomena Keet

≪ Previous: Weekly Photo Challenge: Nostalgia

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I was going to post something longer this week, but this week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge theme is ‘H2O‘ and that appealed to me, so here’s another photo blog! When I thought of H2O, I thought of rain, and I immediately thought of this photo I took in Nagoya in 2009: I remember sitting by the temple … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Tokyo Fashion City – Philomena Keet

October 23, 2016, 7:42 am

≫ Next: Happy Halloween!

≪ Previous: Weekly Photo Challenge: H2O

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Tokyo Fashion City – A Guide to Tokyo’s Trendiest Fashion Districts by Philomena Keet, with photography by Yuri Manabe (Tuttle, 2016) is a fantastically detailed fashion bible, perfect for anyone with an interest in Japanese fashion, street fashion and Japanese culture. It is packed with colourful pictures of young fashionistas on the streets of Tokyo, reminding … Continue reading →

Happy Halloween!

October 30, 2016, 5:22 am

≫ Next: Movie Review: A Silent Voice (聲の形)

≪ Previous: Book Review: Tokyo Fashion City – Philomena Keet

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It’s Halloween weekend or, as my Japanese friend recently dubbed it, Hallo-weekend, and Japan is a place where Halloween is definitely not done by halves! The place to be at Halloween is Tokyo, and it’s the famous Shibuya Crossing which sees all the action with massive street parties, road closures and incredible costumes. Tokyo Fashion … Continue reading →

Movie Review: A Silent Voice (聲の形)

November 6, 2016, 11:15 am

≫ Next: Ichigo Ichie: The Wasabi You Eat Probably Isn’t Wasabi

≪ Previous: Happy Halloween!

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Based on a popular manga comic, Japanese director Naoko Yamada’s (K-On) affecting drama about the tempestuous relationship between a boy who hears and a girl who doesn’t; this is a beautiful Japanese animation which has themes around living as a deaf person at its core. When Shoko, a young deaf student, transfers to a new elementary … Continue reading →

Ichigo Ichie: The Wasabi You Eat Probably Isn’t Wasabi

November 12, 2016, 3:16 am

≫ Next: Ichigo Ichie: Keeping the Japanese Art of Candy Sculpting Alive

≪ Previous: Movie Review: A Silent Voice (聲の形)

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“Ichigo ichie” (一期一会): a Japanese idiom meaning “one time, one meeting”. The phrase embodies the cultural concept of treasuring meetings with people, and is often translated as “one chance in a lifetime”, reminding people to cherish any meeting or experience they are part of, as they may not be repeated. It’s a phrase I love, … Continue reading →

Ichigo Ichie: Keeping the Japanese Art of Candy Sculpting Alive

November 26, 2016, 11:00 am

≫ Next: Movie Review: You Name (君の名は)

≪ Previous: Ichigo Ichie: The Wasabi You Eat Probably Isn’t Wasabi

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“Ichigo ichie” (一期一会): a Japanese idiom meaning “one time, one meeting”. The phrase embodies the cultural concept of treasuring meetings with people, and is often translated as “one chance in a lifetime”, reminding people to cherish any meeting or experience they are part of, as they may not be repeated. The phrase “ichigo ichie” has been … Continue reading →